Can I take you out?
by Sonya-Heather-DeVito
Summary: One where Harry decides to ask Daphne out on Valentines Day. A short Harry/Daphne drabble.


_**A/N: Written for The Houses Competition Year 4. I don't own Harry Potter; it solely belongs to **__**J.K. Rowling!**_

_**House: Ravenclaw**_

_**Year/Position: Prefect**_

_**Category: Drabble**_

_**Prompt: [Date] Valentines Day**_

_**Word Count: 792**_

* * *

Harry looked in the mirror and checked himself one last time. He was wearing the brand new navy-blue shirt that Hermione had specially bought for him. His black shoes shone brighter than his apparent future. The Potter boy had cleaned up well for the occasion. The only problem was his _hair_ \- his untamed hair still looked like the wild nest of a cuckoo bird and Harry had long given up on it.

Taking a deep breath, he spoke encouraging words to himself, "It's okay, Harry. You can do it. You have faced the Dark Lord so many times, you can do this too. What's the _worst _that could happen, hmm? She'd reject you. That's not big of a deal. _Right?_ Right." He took another deep breath and left the confinements of his dorm room quickly.

With each step towards the dungeons, he felt extremely nervous. His hands were all clammy and sweaty, and his nerves were jittery. Though Hermione had assured him that Daphne would love the flowers and chocolates, he still thought _not_ giving her a gift was a better idea. Hermione insisted otherwise, muttering something like, 'How stupid can you be, Harry?!'

Harry didn't know if it was an insult or a compliment to his innocence. Ron said that it was an insult.

He reached his destination in no time and swore colourfully under his breath when he realised that in his haste and nervousness, he'd forgotten the password to the Slytherin Common Room. Merlin, this was _not_ part of his plan. His plan had been simple - ask Daphne as his date to Slughorn's Valentine Party. If she did reject him, however, Luna had enthusiastically offered to be his backup date. There _weren't_ supposed to be any hurdles before that, yet here he stood, staring dumbfoundedly at a wall.

"Harry, what are you doing here?" Someone's voice broke Harry's stupor, and he looked behind to see the speaker. He internally sighed in relief and thanked the Gods when he saw Daphne coming towards him, confusion apparent on her face.

A smile automatically made its way upon his face. Merlin, she looked beautiful as always! He suddenly started feeling giddy, and his confidence levels escalated to new heights. Daphne _always_ had that impact on him - with her, Harry felt strengthened and happy.

"I actually came here to meet you, forgot the password, unfortunately," he spoke, scratching the back of his neck.

"Me? Why? Did you need anything?" the blonde-haired girl asked, looking at the small bouquet of flowers and her favourite chocolate in his hand.

"No, actually yes, yes. I mean I didn't need anything, just wanted to ask something. You can say_ 'no'_ if you'd like that, I wouldn't mind, I promise I wouldn't mind." Daphne snickered inwardly at his timid rambling but hid her smile behind an expressionless mask.

"Okay," she drawled on purposely, enjoying the look on his face as always. He looked adorable when he was confused. Harry visibly took a deep breath - he internally went through all the practices with Hermione, repeated what he wanted to say in mind, over and over, and finally spoke, "WouldyouliketogotoSlughorn'sValentinePartywithme?"

Now Heiress Greengrass was _really_ confused; she hadn't caught on to a word he'd just said."Huh? What?"

Harry opened his eyes when he heard her question, "I'm sorry, I didn't understand what you said."

"Would you like to go to Slughorn's Valentine Party with me?" He spoke _carefully _this time, each word punctuated. Although she already had an idea as to what the Potter boy wanted to ask, Daphne chose to act surprised - as if his crush on her and this proposal were _really_ unexpected. Harry watched Daphne's expression in anticipation; his heart was beating so wildly in his chest, he was sure it would burst out at any moment.

She spoke after what felt like an eternity, "I would love that."

Harry grinned wildly, a thousand-watt smile that_ could_ light up the entire Hogwarts castle, "That's brilliant! Really brilliant! I'll see you tomorrow then, how does six sound?"

"Sounds perfect," Daphne spoke, her own smile matching his. "Umm...are those for me?" she asked pointing at the beautiful flowers.

Harry followed the direction of her gaze and exclaimed, "Oh yeah! These are for you, and the chocolates too. I got them from Hogsmeade, Hermione said you'd love them."

"She was right," Daphne graciously accepted her present and watched as Harry turned around to leave.

"Harry, wait!" Harry stopped in his tracks, and his eyes widened when she kissed his cheek lightly. He could feel his cheeks warming up quickly, "You look very handsome in blue."

Harry started walking towards the Gryffindor Tower in a hurry; he was sure Hermione would be _very _proud of him.


End file.
